S. Korea's southeaster region hit by 5.5-magnitude earthquake

An earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale hit the southeastern part of the Korean peninsula, South Korea's weather agency said, with its tremor felt even in Seoul about 270 kilometers (167 miles) away.

The quake was reported by the Korea Meteorological Administration at 2:29 pm (0529 GMT), with its epicenter about nine kilometers north of the southeastern port city of Pohang. There were no immediate reports of human casualties.

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A wave of aftershock shook Pohang and nearby areas. The epicenter was not far away from a nuclear power complex, sparking a flurry of calls from citizens, but Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), the operator of nuclear power plants, reported no damage.

Pohang is just 21 km away from Gyeongju hit by a 5.8-magnitude quake in September last year that left dozens of people injured and property damage such as cracks in hundreds of houses and buildings. It was the strongest quake to date since South Korea started collecting related data.

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The southeastern region has South Korea's largest nuclear power complex. Nuclear power stations insist their reactors could withstand an earthquake with a magnitude of up to 7.0.

For decades, South Korea, which has almost no reserves of fossil fuels on its territory, has pushed for a nuclear energy program. There are 24 nuclear reactors in operation that meet one-third of the country's power needs. There have been growing public concerns over the safety of nuclear reactors following Japan's 2011 nuclear meltdown in Fukushima that drew unwelcome attention to the use of nuclear energy.